The report found that 450 million children in East Asia and the Pacific are living in areas with hazardous levels of air pollutants. (Chris Aston/Flickr)

Jenna Ladd | November 1, 2016

Some two billion children worldwide are breathing air that contains pollutants which exceed the minimum air quality standards set by the World Health Organization (WHO), according to a recent report from UNICEF.

UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake said in a statement, “Pollutants don’t only harm children’s developing lungs — they can actually cross the blood-brain barrier and permanently damage their developing brains — and, thus, their futures. No society can afford to ignore air pollution.” The report elaborated upon the social and economic implications of breathing highly polluted air. It read,

“The combination of respiratory, cardiovascular, cognitive, morbidity and reproductive health effects of air pollution have biological as well as social and economic effects that last a lifetime. These include health conditions, school attendance, school performance, health costs and productivity, which affect income, poverty and inequalities. Air pollution, through its massive and cumulative impact on the overall health and well-being of children and parents, can perpetuate intergenerational cycles of inequality.”

Experts say the issue is exacerbated by industrialization, with the majority of outdoor air pollution attributable to vehicle emissions, heavy use of fossil fuels, burning of waste, and dust. In a statement, UNICEF asked countries attending the 2016 United Nations Climate Change Conference to tackle issues related to air quality for children directly. The report said, “Unless action is taken to control outdoor air pollution, studies show that outdoor air pollution will become the leading cause of environment-related child death by 2050.”

Iowa Climate Statement 2015: Time for Action

Chris Anderson, Assistant Director of the Climate
Science Program at Iowa State University, spoke during the press conference for the 2015 Iowa Climate Statement at the Iowa capitol in Des Moines on Monday May 11, 2015. (Joe Bolkcom/Twitter)